A 20-minute item on Tuesday's Mendocino County Board of Supervisors agenda to support the construction of the Highway 101 bypass around Willits exploded into a three-hour marathon as person after person got up to voice opposition to the project.

The agenda proposed supervisors "approve the letter of continued support" to CalTrans Director Malcomb Dougherty. It restated the historic support for the project by the board of supervisors, the Willits City Council and the Mendocino Council of Governments.

The letter concluded: "At this time, the public process for the Willits bypass has concluded and the construction phase has begun. Please work with the appropriate agencies and take the necessary actions to allow the contractor and their employees to move forward without further delays and additional unnecessary costs to the taxpayers."

With each speaker allotted three minutes to speak, it soon became clear to board Chairman Dan Hamburg the item was going to extend into the late afternoon, and he moved several timed items to allow the overflow crowd to speak, one by one.

Only one speaker, Mendocino Council of Governments Executive Director Phil Dow, spoke in favor of the project. More than 50 other speakers spoke in opposition.

A number of the speakers even urged supervisors to author a letter in opposition to the project.

Some spoke of the failure by CalTrans to reasonably consider a two-lane alternative, others of the environmental devastation the project will cause, some about the huge waste of taxpayer money. A number of speakers were concerned about the expected negative impact on small businesses, while some believed the entire design was based on pre-global warming concepts.

Many who spoke broke down in tears when recounting their worries and concerns about the project. Most stated there was still time to stop the project and do something more reasonable.

After several breaks for timed items, by late afternoon the board voted 3 to 2 to approve sending the letter supporting the project. Hamburg and Fourth District Supervisor Dan Gjerde voted against sending the letter.

Third District Supervisor John Pinches had drafted the letter and placed it on the agenda. He told the assembled crowd most people in the Third District favor the project, and now was the time to start construction.

Second District Supervisor John McCowen spoke about the conflicting arguments he continues to hear about the Willits bypass, where on one hand the bypass will not actually remove traffic from downtown and on the other the traffic removed from downtown will devastate local businesses.

McCowen opined that had the pro-bypass groups decided to bring out a crowd, the chamber would likely have been filled with them as well.

As Fort Bragg's representative to the Mendocino Council of Governments, Gjerde said he recalled originally voting against the project, mainly because of the large amount of county transportation money it required. Over the years, he recalled hearing only universal support for the project from a series of Third District supervisors and Willits representatives on MCOG.

MCOG sent a letter to CalTrans District 1 Director Charlie Fielder on March 6. One of its key points "is the prevailing opinion of the MCOG board that CalTrans should have secured the construction site (CalTrans right-of-way) prior to initiation of work by the contractor."

MCOG also encouraged CalTrans "to adopt a proactive stance in releasing public documents related to this project in a timely manner. This should include, as a minimum, postings on the Willits bypass website and copies available at the local Caltrans construction office."

MCOG suggested "adherence to construction industry work zone practice, strict onsite compliance with environmental regulations and a proactive posture in providing project related information to a sometimes skeptical public, will somewhat improve the atmosphere as we enter five years of construction in the Little Lake Valley."

The Brooktrails Board of Directors voted unanimously Tuesday night to support the bypass project. No member of the public spoke.

The Employers Council of Mendocino County sent a letter of support for the project to Senator Noreen Evans on March 15. The council said it "wholeheartedly supports the Willits Bypass project." It also expressed disappointment about Evans "disregard for the project's economic and environmental benefits." The letter invited Evans "to become an advocate for the" project and requested she affirm her support through an official statement.